WHAT INDUSTRY EXPECTS IN 2008

We present our popular annual round-up of industry leaders’ views on political, economic and technical issues facing the industry in the coming year. It includes commentary from,

Donnie Harris, CEO, Garb, Grubbs, Harris & Associates, Inc.
Alexander G. Kemp, University of Aberdeen
Nathan Meehan, President, CMG Petroleum Consulting
Galen Cobb, V.P., Industry Relations, Halliburton, and Chairman, Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association (PESA)
Doug Nester, COO, F-W Oil Exploration L.L.C.
Tore Torvund, Exec. V.P., Statoil
David A. Pursell, Managing Director, TudorPickering
Lawrence R. Dickerson, President and COO, Diamond Offshore Drilling, and Chairman, National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), and
Robert Warren, V.P., Investor Relations, Pride International

 PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT/HSE

Seismic acquisition vs. marine mammals: What’s the status of whale-harassment mitigation efforts, and the science of passive acoustic monitoring? Marine mammal protection regulation continues to evolve in every offshore basin around the world. Now in its fourth year, this report will keep leaseholders and other stakeholders informed of what, for some, is the holy grail of marine mammal protection—listening for their squeaks and chirps. For others, this is just a fishing expedition trying to mitigate a problem that does not exist. Hardware and software to accomplish the listening and identification will be discussed by experts from the geophysical association, IAGC.

Cleaning up Kuwait. The effects from the oil spills from the first Persian Gulf war are still visible. On an exclusive trip to Kuwait, World Oil investigates what’s being done to mitigate the “tar-crete” from past well fires, as well as millions of barrels of goo in oil lakes, from years of poor production practices.

Improving offshore personnel transfer. There are several new ways to do this much more safely than before. This article gives the statistics, then describes the technology that allows operators to make the change to safer personnel transfers from vessels to platforms and drilling units.

Handling drilling waste for environmental excellence. Handling drilling waste (cutting, fluids) economically and in an environmentally benign manner has not been trouble-free. There are new, state-of-the-art ways to do this, as this article details.

Increased regulations for offshore drilling contractors: fire protection systems. Increased global environmental regulations are compelling companies to find alternative firefighting systems that address worker safety and environmental concerns associated with traditional “smothering” agents such as halon. GlobalSantaFe (soon to be part of Transocean) needed an alternative—and found one that it is applying to all its offshore rigs.

 WHAT’S NEW IN RIGS AND RIG-FLOOR EQUIPMENT

Based on the success of last year�s inbound supplement, we again present World Oil�s guide to rig and rig floor technology. Expect a similar format of rig tables, new rig designs and rig floor equipment.

New build report. It wasn�t supposed to be possible, but the materials and suppliers to build new rigs to keep the boom going are being found. In fact, there are signs of overbuilding on land. As part of this year�s rig and rig-floor report, we will feature a roundup of what operators can expect in rig supply.

 PRODUCED WATER REPORT

Treating produced water in dewatering applications. Authors from the Produced Water Society describe how this is done most economically. Emphasis is placed on common problems, with appropriate solutions.